Building a Community-Led, Climate-Forward Economy

California Jobs First invests in key sectors to drive sustainable economic growth, innovation, and access to good-paying jobs.

How We Got Here

This first-of-its-kind investment into a bottom-up economic development strategy has empowered regions across California to bring together a diverse set of community members to craft their own, localized economic visions.

Regional Collaboratives

Residents & Experts Engaged

Investment through the Regional Investment Initiative to Date
gif of various California workers

California State
Economic Blueprint

Built from the foundations of the 13 regional plans, this Blueprint identifies the strategic sectors and strategies that best position the State of California to help create, attract, and increase access to good-paying jobs.

California’s Strategic Sectors:

Strengthen

Sectors where California has an established competitive position and/or significant employment, but where there is leveling growth or wages.

Sector Charts Strengthen

Accelerate

Sectors with moderate to high projected growth that are ready for expansion, where additional investments (e.g., capital, infrastructure) could “bend the curve” to generate growth.

Sector Charts Accelerate

Bet

Emerging sectors with significant investment or high strategic importance to the innovation ecosystem.

Sector Charts Bet

Anchor

Regional anchors that are critical for attracting and supporting industry activities while often providing quality, good-paying jobs within local communities.

Sector Charts Anchor

California’s 13 Jobs First Regions

With support from the state, each regional collaborative developed research-backed and community-led strategies for how to grow their local economy in ways that benefit all their residents.

Regional Map
1. North State

A thriving and resilient North State is based on a regenerative economy that produces climate-adaptive forests and watersheds, healthy and financially secure communities, and growing and innovative community scale businesses linked to regional markets.

Regional Plan | Website

2. Redwood

The Redwood Region envisions itself as a healing place where everyone belongs, with stable jobs, accessible healthcare, and a flourishing natural environment. The Redwood Region works towards a future where anyone can thrive.

Regional Plan | Website

3. Capital

The Capital Region focuses on the generation of quality jobs, well-supported career pathways, and an equitable and sustainable economy that spans the eight-county region. It will build on existing efforts to help maximize the benefit of ongoing sub-regional economic and community development activities.

Regional Plan | Website

4. Sierra

The Sierra Region aims to create a resilient economy that supports equitable opportunities for generations to come.

Regional Plan | Website

5. Bay Area
The Bay Area Region aims to re-envision regional economic development planning, centered around the values of equity, high-road employment, sustainability and climate resilience, and shaped by workers and impacted community members.

Regional Plan | Website

6. Northern San Joaquin

The North San Joaquin Region envisions itself as a place with equitable access to high-quality jobs, where natural resources are protected and negative environmental impact is addressed, where local industries actively compete in the global economy and sustain high-road jobs, and where the quality of life is centered on the prosperity of vulnerable and historically disinvested communities.

Regional Plan | Website

7. Central San Joaquin

The Central San Joaquin Region aims to foster an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economy that creates quality jobs and provides equitable economic access to across the region.

Regional Plan | Website

8. Central Coast

The Central Coast Region is a growing collective impact initiative, powered by Central Coast residents working together toward a shared vision of a sustainable, diverse, equitable, and resilient economy.

Regional Plan | Website

9. Kern County

The Kern County Region aims to create a diversified, sustainable, equitable, and thriving economy that eliminates intergenerational poverty and empowers Kern County residents from every background to access economic opportunity.

Regional Plan | Website

10. Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Region aims to create investment opportunities through climate neutral initiatives that can produce high-quality, sustainable jobs for individuals and families within the region.

Regional Plan | Website

11. Inland SoCal

The Inland SoCal Region envisions itself as a place where everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, has access to the resources and opportunities necessary to thrive. The goal is to create a region where every community prospers in a sustainable and innovative economy, and every individual can live a healthy, quality life.

Regional Plan | Website

12. Orange County

The Orange County Region aims to create an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable economy that creates high-road jobs and provides a path toward, and equitable transition to, a carbon-neutral economy.

Regional Plan | Website

13. Southern Border

The Southern Border Region aims to foster inclusive and sustainable economic development by empowering and uplifting disinvested communities and ensuring equitable access to opportunities, resources, and growth.

Regional Plan | Website

Latest News 

Jan. 8, 2025

Governor Newsom continues delivering a new bold economic vision for California

Governor Newsom continued his statewide California Jobs First tour to outline a first-of-its-kind, bottom-up economic vision for California’s future.

Governor Gavin Newsom
Governor Gavin Newsom
Jan. 8, 2025

Governor Newsom continues delivering a new bold economic vision for California

Governor Newsom continued his statewide California Jobs First tour to outline a first-of-its-kind, bottom-up economic vision for California’s future.

California Jobs First Council

In March 2024, the Newsom Administration launched the California Jobs First Council, bringing together nine state agencies to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to advancing California’s economy.

GO-Biz logo

Co-Chair: Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz)

Labor Workforce & Development Agency logo

Co-Chair: Labor & Workforce Development Agency (LWDA)

CDFA logo

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)

CalVET logo

California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet)

CalEPALogo

California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA)

CalHHS logo

California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS)

CNRA logo

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA)

CPUC logo

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

LCI logo

Governor’s Office of Land Use & Innovation (LCI)

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